What You Should Know About Type 1 Diabetes In Babies
Babies are precious, we love and care for them, and try and keep them from all harm.
When a baby is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, it is common for the parents to blame themselves. This is both unfair to the parents and also to the baby, who is powerless to fend for him or herself, and therefore needs the parents to concentrate their attention on him/her.
A baby is incapable of giving an precise detail as to how it is feeling. However, there are signs, such as diarrhoea and excessive urination. However, diarrhoea can be written off as simply an upset tummy, but i ti continues medical advice should be sought.
If a child is suffering from vomiting and weight loss and the doctor suspects diabetes, it may be necessary or the baby to be treated in hospital initially, to get the child stable.
There are obvious difficulties in treating a baby with diabetes. The parents have to administer insulin injections and monitor blood sugar levels, both of which can cause the child some discomfort and distress. Low blood glucose has to be maintained, whilst at the same time ensuring that the baby gets sufficient nutrients for growth.
However, despite these obvious difficulties, parents of babies with diabetes have one thing on their side – the baby is still developing.
This means that a higher than normal blood sugar level is required for continued normal growth, so whilst keeping some control over blood glucose is required, it is not as critical as it is in later life. Studies have shown that the consequences of high blood sugar that lead to further complications in later life, do not start until the child is pre-pubescent, so the baby years can act as a period of grace.
The acceptable blood sugar level for a baby is therefore higher, at 8.3 to 11.1 mmol/l and this is the target figure parents should aim for in a baby.
The “grace period” can give parents false hope, as sometimes the baby needs no extra help in that the baby appears to be producing suficient insulin to maintain acceptable levels of blood sugar unaided. Unfortuantely, this is norml and will pass. It is therefore vital that parents continue to monitor the child’s blood sugars, and when the grace period is passed, have the child examined by a doctor, so that a revised plan of treatment in the home can be drawn up.
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